White, 54, is due to play in the German Masters this week. It is understood that despite the damage to his home, White was travelling out to Germany for the tournament.

The station commander for Epsom and Banstead fire stations, Steve Schooling, said the alarm had been raised by a fellow resident of the apartment block who heard an alarm and had gone to feel the back of the flat's door to check for heat.

"When the first crews got there they had to break the door down," Mr Schooling said. "They were faced with a very serious situation that involved fire.

"We were able to get it quickly under control and the remainder of the incident was damping things down."

Asked about the extent of the fire, he added that it was "significant" and that efforts were ongoing to determine the cause.

There was nobody present in the flat at the time of the fire, Mr Schooling said.